FALL RIVER — City Councilor Michael Miozza rolled out a financial plan last week he believed would avert mass layoffs expected in the Fall River Fire Department in the next fiscal year.

“I think the money’s in the budget,” Miozza said.

Not so fast, Mayor Will Flanagan said on Sunday: the money Miozza suggested to return to the firefighters has already been earmarked to fund their budget in 2015.

“He gave the firefighters false hope because the money’s already allocated,” Flanagan said.

If Miozza thinks the money’s in the budget, Flanagan said, “then show us where it is.”

Last Tuesday, Miozza told City Administrator Cathy Ann Viveiros and John Nunes, treasurer and director of financial services, that he wanted to give back to the fire department a portion of the $14 million SAFER grant the department received two years ago that was transferred to the stabilization account.

Neither Viveiros or Nunes informed the council that wouldn’t work because they planned to use it in the fire department’s 2015 budget.

After being informed of Flanagan’s plans on Sunday, an angry Miozza said he feels he and the City Council were misled by the mayor’s financial team when they failed to tell the council about plans for the funds when the topic was brought up at the meeting.

“If this is the case then I think we’re in worse shape than I thought, “Miozza said. “If our city administrator doesn’t understand the funding then the mayor needs to come before the council and explain.”

Last month, Flanagan warned the 213-member fire department that in fiscal 2015 he would cut 60 firefighter positions, leaving a complement of 153.

Until December, firefighters said Flanagan had promised that the city would fund a fire department of 200 firefighters.

The SAFER grant expires in July. The fire department has submitted another SAFER grant application for 16 positions.

In 2013, the city was granted a waiver from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reduce manpower from the agreed SAFER grant funding of 232 firefighters, bringing the total to 213. It saved the city money because, instead of funding 153 firefighters, the city funded 140, Miozza said.

That saved $1.35 million in salary and holiday pay, not including health insurance or overtime savings, Miozza said. The money was transferred to the city’s stabilization account.

“So, if I do the math, that would give us enough money to fund 40 firefighters. That would bring it up to 193,” Miozza said. “If we get the 16 from the SAFER grant we’ll have 209 firefighters. Problem solved.”

Page 2 of 2 - Viveiros said that “all options” are on the table to deal with the fiscal crisis in 2015.

“Are people fond of some of those options? Are they anxious to implement them?” Viveiros said. “No they’re not.”

Before Flanagan informed The Herald News of his plans to use money from the stabilization account, Jason Burns, president of the firefighters Local 1314, said he thought Miozza’s plan was “absolutely worth exploring.”

“It’s our say, it’s our budget and it’s our money,” Burns said.

Miozza and City Councilor Raymond Mitchell said they don’t know how Flanagan could have allocated the money in the stabilization account because neither recalled voting on the issue.

“I didn’t realize the administration could do that without the vote of the City Council,” Miozza said.

Flanagan explained that the money was still in the account and it was going to be the recommendation of his financial team to help close the fire department gap.